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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — of law
  3. mate — a partner
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bulb — for light
  6. content — happy
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. court — for sport
  10. content — the amount
  11. mine — for digging
  12. can — to be able to
  13. rush — hurry
  14. mate — a friend
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. can — a tin
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. can — a tin
  21. mate — to breed
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bulb — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com